Members of the hockey community pay tribute to Rene Robert

Former teammates, fellow Sabres alumni and others have shared memories on social media

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© Steve Babineau/Getty Images

By Jourdon LaBarber
@jourdonlabarber Sabres.com

Danny Gare was awestruck the first time he met Rene Robert. Gare was a wide-eyed rookie attending his first training camp with the Sabres in 1974 after watching the exploits of Robert and his "French Connection" linemates for two seasons on television.
Gare says he spoke to Robert just about every other day by the end of Robert's life, a testament to a friendship formed during their five years as teammates and decades spent as proud and active ambassadors for the Sabres.
"He was just a great person, a special teammate, a special friend," Gare said.
Gare and fellow Sabres alumni Don Luce and Gilbert Perreault each joined The Instigators on Wednesday to remember their former teammate Robert, who passed away Tuesday at the age of 72.

Perreault centered Robert and Rick Martin on the French Connection line. The three remained friends after their careers, with Martin having passed away in 2011.
"I knew what kind of player [Robert] was because I played against him in the junior days in the Quebec league," Perreault recalled. "He was a big star in Three Rivers (Quebec) and he was an amazing junior player, so I knew what kind of player he was. He had the great speed and great shot and he had a great vision of the game. It was an easy game for me and Rico to play with Rene."
Luce said he spoke to Robert just last week, before Robert suffered a heart attack in Florida.
"He was such a great guy," Luce said. "He was a great competitor, great teammate. Really a fun guy to be around and we had a lot of good laughs together. It's very sad to see him have to go at this time."
Other members of the hockey community paid tribute to Robert on social media. A collection of those message is below:

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